The Theft of Nations
The Capitalist Ideal & Its Corruption
Edward Yardeni
The table of contents below provides links to the book’s
charts, appendices, and endnotes.
Chapter 1: Wealth and Theft
Epic Dual
Adam Smith’s Big Mistake
Chapter 2: The Ideal
The Free Market
The Consuming Class
Productivity and the Division of Labor
Labor Theory of Value
Markets, Freedom, and Fairness
Playing by the Rules
Chapter 3: Internal Contradictions
Creative Destruction
Booms, Busts, and the Great Moderation
Irrational Exuberance
Cronies, Zombies, and Banksters
Paying for the Rules
The Ruling Class and Class Welfare
Corporate Managers and Directors
The Leisure Class and Fertility
Chapter 4: Human Nature
Fear, Greed, and Insecurity
Virtue and Vice
Golden Rules
God and Markets
Moses, Jesus, and Luther
The Poverty of Philosophy
Profiling Homo Corruptus
Chapter 5: Special Interests
Social Insecurity
Vested Interests
Organized Crime
Madison’s Factions
Olson’s Minorities
Tocqueville’s Communities
Group Think
Chapter 6: Law and Order
Social Contracts
Checks, Balances, and Deficits
Taxation & Representation
Rights, Responsibilities, and Entitlements
Redistribution & Justice
Progressives and the Rule of Regulators
Private and Public Unions
When All Else Fails
Rules for Capitalists
Rules for Radicals
Chapter 7: Finance and Fraud
Other People’s Money and Seller Financing
Asset Bubbles and Debt Debacles
Mark to Market
Gold and Other Standards
Moral and Other Hazards of Central Bankers
Quantitative Easing and the Great Inflation
Chapter 8: Social Scientists and Utopia
From Voltaire to Darwin
From Smith to Marx
From Keynes to Bernanke
From Rand to Greenspan
Chapter 9: Assaulting Capitalism
Rahm’s Rule for Rulers
Revisionists and the End of History
Market vs. Government Failure
Round Up the Usual Suspects
Chapter 10: Defending Capitalism
Revolution, Reformation, and Restoration
Creative Destruction for Our Own Good
Strict Construction and Term Limits
Balanced Budgets & Flat Taxes
Regulations, Sunsets, and Inspector Generals
Fixing Finance for Good
Chapter 11: Future of Capitalism
Commanding Heights
Innovation and Prosperity
Live Long and Prosper
Globalization and its Discontents
Falls and Springs